In 1940, Harvard student John F. Kennedy wrote a famous thesis titled Why England Slept. With the help of his powerful father, the thesis was later published in book form and sold 80,000 copies. Kennedy used the U.S. royalties in the most American of ways: he bought himself a Buick convertible.
Why England Slept examined England’s response (or non-response) to Adolf Hitler’s rise to power, which began all the way back in 1933, under two prime ministers, Stanley Baldwin and Neville Chamberlain. Kennedy doesn’t condemn either man. Instead, he looks at the many factors that kept Great Britain from stopping Hitler when there was still time to avoid World War II. Those factors included the residual trauma of World War I and a democracy whose people wanted nothing to do with another European war.
In my thesis, “Why England Sucks,” we will examine why England sucks….
For 47 years, since 1979, the Islamic Republic of Iran has operated openly, proudly, and brazenly as a terrorist regime responsible for countless horrors all over the region. These homicidal maniacs have deliberately destabilized the region, murdered scores of innocents, and funded countless terrorist organizations, all with the stated goal of exterminating Israel and eventually the West and installing a worldwide Islamic theocracy.
The Islamic Republic is not Iraq’s Saddam Hussein; it is not a tyranny blustering about the ability to commit mass murder using weapons of mass destruction that do not exist. Rather, Iran has openly and aggressively pursued a nuclear weapon and the ballistic missiles required to deliver those nukes anywhere in the world.
Being fully aware of all this, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer still initially turned down President Trump’s request to use American air bases on British soil to launch last weekend’s preemptive attack on Iran.
The importance of these air bases cannot be understated, especially as it relates to the success of the mission and risk involved for U.S. military personnel. This is also the second time Starmer has refused access. He also denied access for last year’s strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities.
One particular facility in England “is the USAF’s ‘only bomber Forward Operating Location’ in Europe, and can handle the largest, most heavily-laden aircraft in the world,” writes my colleague Oliver JJ Lane.
Without this access the Air Force’s job was and is made much more difficult.
“[T]he pre-emptive strikes against Iran’s nuclear programme last year were launched at much greater range from the U.S. mainland instead and sustained with a considerable air tanker refuelling effort,” wrote Lane.
“[I]t does make the job more complex for Washington, adds layers of risk, and continues to undermine the UK-U.S. ‘special relationship’.”
You see, Starmer isn’t interested in our “special relationship.” Rather, to appease Muslim voters Starmer hides behind international law. His Labour Party’s saftest seats were once in white working-class areas, and those have become Muslim migrant areas. The Labor Party used to garner the Muslim vote with ease, but now Muslims are abandoning the party in favor of electing independent candidates running on Gaza solidarity platforms.
Here’s a quote attributed to senior Labour Party figure Wes Streeting:
I fear we’re in big trouble here – and I am toast at the next election. We just lost our safest ward in Redbridge (51% Muslim, Ilford S) to a Gaza independent. At this rate I don’t think we’ll hold either of the two Ilford seats. There isn’t a clear answer to the question: why Labour?
That’s only partly why England sucks…
After Israel and America’s weekend attack began, for whatever insane reason, Iran began launching missile and drone attacks on countries all over the region. The thinking behind this must involve a Rube Goldbergian piece of logic that goes like this: America attacks Iran. Iran attacks you. You blame America for provoking our attack on you. You attack America. Iran’s leaders go back to shoving women in black bags, throwing homosexuals off buildings, and making goats nervous.
Whatever.
That didn’t work.
Instead, a number of the countries hit by Iran’s sweaty and desperate unprovoked attacks over the weekend have since come out on the side of Israel and America… This includes Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and…
England!
Yes, England is now lumped in as every bit as much of a fair-weather friend as Middle Eastern countries.
Only after Iran launched its missiles all over the region did Sir Starmer agree to give the United States access to these bases in England. Even then, Starmer has limited any strikes to defensive actions against Iranian missile sites.
In summation: the partner in our so-called special relationship 1) won’t join the fight and 2) won’t even allow us to use these bases in the way we deem best to bring this war to a conclusion.
Meanwhile:
As you can imagine, President Trump is not happy.
Referring to Starmer’s reluctant change of heart, Trump said, “It is useful. It took far too much time. Far too much time.”
“That’s probably never happened between our countries before,” Trump said of Starmer’s initial refusal. “It sounds like he was worried about the legality.”
Yes, by his own admission, Starmer is worried about “international law,” which is nothing more than a refuge for political cowards.
Starmer is damaging the most politically and strategically important relationship in that country’s long history, all to appease people who have stated they want to wipe Israel and America off the map — in a desperate attempt to curry favor with them and win their votes.
And that’s Why England Sucks.
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